Wakamizu

At dinner, part of the pleasure at Wakamizu is choosing a few small plates to start. The menu includes a six-item assortment, as well as the Three Kingdoms set, which expands that selection to twelve items. Both make it easy to sample a range of dishes or enjoy smaller portions on your own. The choices extend from nattōfu, tofu mixed with fermented soybeans, to seared tilefish, simmered bai whelk and a vinegar-dressed dish of fresh lotus root and myoga ginger.

One diner who enjoyed dinner here recalls a set meal with six appetisers, a main dish, rice and miso soup, noting the variety and presentation of the small plates. Their main course was a pork medallion with what they described as a striking smoky flavour. For dishes ordered individually, the menu lists fried chicken with a sweet-and-spicy sansho pepper sauce. Eggplant gyoza, spring rolls with pike conger and shiso, and fried sardines are other options.

The sake list has sections for chilled and room-temperature or warmed sake, with tasting notes to help guide a choice: 十旭日 is described as dry, 隆 as slightly dry, and 丹澤山 as smooth. One visitor remembers having chilled sake in a large wine glass and warmed sake in a distinctive flask; the different vessels added to the experience of the drinks.

At lunchtime, bento is one option. A diner who tried the daily bento reported enjoying its vegetable-wrapped meat as the main dish, along with small sides and other accompaniments. Another lunch review mentions a generous karaage plate. Whether you want a bento with a mix of sides, evening drinks and small plates, or a filling meal of hearty ankake rice or wonton noodles, Wakamizu offers different ways to shape a meal.